HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA and ORANGE COUNTY - A Word of Caution:
What are you going to do for a job? There are already too many servers here, and you will NOT get a job as a bartender unless your best friend owns or runs the place. And don't think "I'll just move to San Diego then." Seriously, good luck with that also. The CA job market is "Locals Only" and they will cast your resume into the trash if you live an hour away (no joke.)
RENT PRICES: Rent here is excruciating - figure $1200-$1700 for a one-bedroom apartment, and don't believe the rents you see on Craigslist. Also, you are not going to live in a nearby community such as Westminster or Garden Grove, trust me. Most people that visit Disneyland think they are coming to "The OC", with it's lush beaches and beautiful people . . . well, at least the beaches part is true. They should start a show called "The Medicated Housewives of OC", or better yet: "Every Woman has plastic surgery and is on medication", but back to the OC: At Disney, folks are shocked to find that they can hardly walk the streets even a half-mile from the resort without being shot at. Google "Anaheim Crime Rate" and you'll see. So, you are not going to live outside the beach cities just to save money.
The bottom line on Orange County, CA is this:
RENT: If you are not making at least $80,000/year, plan on having a roommate, street parking, community laundry, and neighbors that smoke cigarettes and party late into the evening. Street parking assumes that you can find it in the beach cities - good luck on the weekends.
SLEEP: While trying to get some sleep, you will be awakened between 11 PM and 3 AM by The-Fast-and-the-Furious-wannabe Japanese cars with Folgers-can exhaust systems. You will then be awakened at 5 and/or 6 AM by monster truck drivers leaving for work, followed by the masses at 7-8 AM. So, your net sleep will be about 5/6 hours a night. You have to sleep with a fan or some other white noise generating device here or you you may physically and mentally deteriorate.
NOISE: This is a very lush place, however, lush requires a lot of maintenance. Constant landscaping (leaf-blowers/edgers/lawn mowers), traffic, and trash trucks will be never-ending because of a very high-population density. Plan on your days off as less than serene. Most apartment/house/condo windows are all single pane (no winter and also no noise blocking), and most adjoining walls/floors are paper-thin. People come here to party in the summer, mainly college kids from all over the world. They move to the beach cities, which become unbearable during the summertime.
If you want to find out the good things about OC, there are far too many to list here. This article merely attempts to expose the reality of living here. Now you know what to expect when the honeymoon wears off, which takes about 2-3 weeks, but during that magic time - paradise is indeed yours. Watch the Film "Mulholland Drive" and watch Betty's descent into what the CA dream can (and so often does) do to you. Good luck!

Although I hate to boast to much about this beloved city I live in, because we don't need anymore people here!
This is an absolute wonderful place to live and raise kids, I have been here my whole life, although allot has changed here (downtown) HB most of it is a necessary evil. ( because it keeps out the poor riff raft)
it used to be very affordable for young people to move out and live in downtown HB, because all the original homes here had a cottage in the back yard that the home owners would rent out for a affordable price. unfortunately most of these homes have been bought up by developers where the lots were split and they stack two three story homes on the lot and sell them for a ridiculous price. which has resulted into a bit of a change in culture to the neighborhood. I think most of the people that buy these homes cant quite afford to live in Newport Beach, so the buy here and try to bring that stupid stuffy attitude here. The good thing is that they spend there lives at work trying to pay that fat mortgage, so you don't see them that much. Although having been hassled by the cops here quite a bit growing up, I do very much appreciate them keeping out the 909 riff raff. I think there are too many bars downtown which attract the inland trash. I was lucky to buy early on when housing was still affordable here and have seen nothing but but equity in my home. The surf culture is still very much alive, you will always see kids riding to and from the beach on there bikes with surfboards under there arms. There is great biking and walking here on the endless boardwalk at the beach. The parks here are absolutely fabulous. the city does a great job all round.
If you are liberal trash you don't belong here! this is a very conservative city. there really is no smog here, the north easterly ocean breezes send all the smog to the 909 where it belongs. Schools, police, fire dept. are the top in the nation! bar none
I hope this helps, sorry for being so blunt..just stating the facts

Living 1.5 miles from the beach gives a very moderate temperature of 75 - 85 degrees during the summer months and winter temperatures from 45 - 60 degrees. You can be subjected to a lot of early morning sea mist which can take to midday to burn off. Moving 3 miles inland and the temperature will increase by 10 - 15 degrees moving you out of that comfort zone.

I was lucky to grow up in HB in the 70s and moved away for about 20 years. I was fortunate enough to live near Huntington High School and the neighborhoods near Main Street still have that "small town" vibe. It's a good thing. Yes, it's much more expensive then before but in comparison to Los Angeles, the homes are less expensive and bigger. The crime is relatively low and good schools.In Los Angeles you can live in a nice neighborhood, have your car stolen from your driveway and will need to enroll your child in a private school or be on a waitlist for a charter school. (Don't get me wrong, I love LA and wish HB was as liberal and had as many great things to do.) A thing that I have always found about people from HB is their genuinely friendly...because "life is good".

Cost of living and the price of homes in this area are insane. My husband and I both work hard and make a good living but we STILL can't afford to buy a decent place. It's sad and pathetic when people make good money, save thier money and can only afford a tiny, cheap, old, nasty condo. Can't wait to move out of here!

I have lived in California my whole life, but not until I started a family of my own did I realize how expensive it really is. We currently are looking for somewhere else to go where we will have more opportunity to have a comfortable life. Yes, we do make more in california but all of it goes to rent/ mortgage.

Huntington Beach offers great climate, places to eat, and a great bike path along the beach. The downside is that the land is flat, and the prices are high. The worst thing about the city is that it is between several airports which creates a lot of air traffic

By the time I could afford HB, I was already finished with college. But it was nice to show people where I grew up (ashamed of the location) where I moved on up to. The only thing is the high cost wiped out the cool beach type people vibe and a lot of stuffy corporate types started moving in along with the element from Santa Ana and Westminster. Let's see what HB becomes after this recession.

The cost of living here is horrible. We have no seasons unless you call the Santa Ana winds a season. Havent seen rain in ages. Every year southern california has fires and our air quality stinks (literally). It smells like smoke and who knows what it does to your lungs. Traffic is so bad. There are so many people here that everyone lives on top of the other one, no room to breathe. If you plan on raising a family here be prepared to never see your kids because you will always be working just to pay the rent. This may be a place for young single people but once you want a house with a lawn, a couple of kids and a dog it's time to move out of state.

I've lived in Huntington Beach for 4 yrs and LOVE IT!!! The fire & police depts are first rate. The beach area is beautiful and the activities are available to every age range. The city strives to maintain communitity activities that are free or low cost and always fun.

While it gets cool in the summer and hot in the spring when Santa Ana winds blow for the most part it is virtually year round blue skies, sunshine and comfortable temperature.
I've traveled to 48 states and 13 countries and haven't found a place with better weather.
The greatest thing is here you do not have to plan your life around the weather.